


Silencing the Tempest

by Master_Magician



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Magician/pseuds/Master_Magician
Summary: "Except us!" Tifa shook him a little rougher this time, her voice dropping deeper into a near snarl herself. "Right now, the only people in the entire world that can save Aerith is the three of us. And if something happens to us, Aerith has no chance left. None! And everything going on in that damn brain of yours is going to come true. All of it! And it's going to be your fault."
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	Silencing the Tempest

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another 'rewritten scene' for everyone. I feel like Cloud's reaction to Hojo's plans for Aerith spoken during the board meeting were a little… lacking. Thus, the idea for this little work was born.
> 
> Plus, not going to lie, I wasn't planning on making an upload today. It's been an awful and long day (couple weeks, actually), and isn't going to be getting better any time soon, so I was planning on just doing a little work on this and calling it a day. I wound up starting and finishing this entire thing in around two hours. So I imagine the quality is probably a little lacking. My apologies.
> 
> Enjoy.

Cloud was, above all else, a consummate professional. One had to be in his line of work. A cool head under pressure was one of the most useful weapons in your arsenal, at times more useful than even your weapon. Emotions and other similar things were best handled, when possible, after the danger was passed.

Whatever Cloud had changed into since becoming a SOLDIER, this was a new truth about the man Tifa had already long figured out by now. Not like she had any choice in the matter, anyway, but it was another among many new developments she needed to accept, and did.

This made it all the more worrying when Tifa saw how Cloud's hands were shaking.

Without thinking, Tifa's hand found Cloud's. They were in an air duct, literally a handful of meters away from the Shinra board of directors, so actually talking was way off the table.

In that moment, Tifa really wished she could have when she felt her childhood friend's hand.

Cloud's hand wasn't just shaking, it was clenched so tightly that Tifa wondered if his bones were in any danger of cracking. Had he been holding her hand, or anything really, he'd have crunched it like a cheap tin can.

'Cloud?' Tifa mouthed, her own hand squeezing Cloud's in an attempt to capture his attention.

No luck.

Cloud said nothing, he didn't even look at her while he turned around and began the trek back to the men's restroom. A deeply concerned, and more than a little worried, Tifa hot on his heels.

"Cloud?" The pair were almost back to the restroom when Tifa dared try to speak.

Silence.

"Cloud?" Tifa tried again, but Cloud still ignored her as he dropped back into the bathroom.

"We all goo… what's up with you?" Tifa heard Barret bluntly ask.

"Cloud, I know you're upset…" Tifa began cautiously. She heard what Hojo said back in the board room, heard his plans for the girl they were here to rescue. The correlation between Hojo's words and Cloud's current mood was unmistakable.

Tifa didn't even want to try to imagine what horrors were playing through Cloud's mind right now. All the sick and depraved possible scenarios Hojo could concoct. Scenarios that that sick bastard was going to gleefully play out now that Aerith was back in his custody.

"Just try to take breath and…" Tifa's words were cut off with a crunching sound.

Cloud had taken hold of the edge of the sink, maybe in an attempt to wrangle his emotions under control. The unfortunate porcelain was no match for the strength of a SOLDIER and broke almost immediately beneath his grip.

Barret watched the whole thing, eyebrows shooting up beneath his sunglasses. He obviously wanted to say or ask something, but thank all the gods above he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut right now, maybe for the first time on something Cloud related.

"The man in the lab coat." Cloud spoke slowly, each word laced with a tone of such bitter venom and bile that Tifa had to do a double take to make sure this really was Cloud standing in front of her. "We follow him, he'll lead us to Aerith."

Cloud didn't even wait for his two companions, he was already heading out the door. When said door didn't open fast enough for him, he smacked it with such force that a chunk broke off and clattered to the floor.

Barret was hurrying after him, along with Tifa, but when the man shot Tifa a look of confusion, she could only say "explain later" before they had to hurry or risk a potentially unstable Cloud leaving them in the dust.

Within her own mind, Tifa was unafraid to admit she was growing scared. Cloud was acting so much unlike himself, and Tifa liked to pride herself on knowing how her old friend ticked. She knew how he thought, and what he would do at a given time.

Right now, though? Tifa had no clue what this new Cloud was thinking, or what he was going to do, and the prospect was becoming more terrifying by the second.

Doubling back to the entrance to this floor, Tifa and the others found their target standing near the escalators. Tifa couldn't hear him very well, but he seemed to be thinking aloud, probably about one of his experiments he was planning.

Hopefully, not anything involving Aerith.

All they had to do was follow him, Hojo would lead them to his lab and maybe past a bunch of his security in the process, if they were the least bit lucky, that is. Not much longer now, and their only focus would be figuring out how to escape the building with Aerith in tow.

So long as nothing else…

"I should very much like to meet their offspring."

It didn't take a genius to know who Hojo was talking about, and in that instant, Tifa knew all hell was a fraction of a second from breaking loose if she didn't do something to head it off.

In a bid of absolute desperation, Tifa all but tacked Cloud, and in the process, yanked him away from the doorway and away from the sight of Hojo.

Good timing, too, because Cloud had only just managed to grab hold of the handle of his sword but hadn't been able to draw it in time before Tifa's arms were around him. She somehow, probably thanks to the element of surprise, managed to pin both of his arms to his sides before he had a chance to react.

However, Tifa was no SOLDIER, so she was no match for Cloud's mako enhanced strength.

Within seconds, Cloud had wrenched himself free from Tifa's hold and shoved her away. It was a testament to how much she must mean to him that, despite his frayed mental state, he didn't hurt her at all in the process.

There was no scream, no sound of any kind, just Cloud, drawing his weapon and preparing to make Hojo wish he'd never been born in the most painful way humanly possible. And in the process, destroy their only chance to quickly locate Aerith.

Before Tifa could recover and make another grab for Cloud, Barret of all people stepped in. Once again, Cloud hadn't been able to draw his weapon before Barret's much bigger and muscular arms seized hold of him and lifted him up off the ground.

Cloud might be stronger than almost any other normal human, but all the strength in the world meant nothing if you couldn't anchor yourself to use it. Neither would Barret's arms allow Cloud any momentum with them fully pinned. Unlike Tifa, Barret had the raw strength to keep them there. Sure, Cloud would eventually defeat Barret eventually in the stamina department, but for now, the SOLDIER was the hulking man's prisoner.

"Cloud!" Tifa hissed, eternally grateful that any potential onlookers had left after they entered the restroom a short time ago.

Before Tifa or anyone else could say more, Hojo was leaving through another security door. One that was going to close and lock behind him if they didn't get a move on.

The trio barely made it through in time, not helped by a squirming Cloud being literally carried in Barret's arms.

"What the hell, Cloud?" Tifa asked before Barret could. "You need to…"

Tifa's words died in her suddenly dry throat when she made the mistake of looking into Cloud's mako rimmed eyes.

Cloud had never been very expressive, neither in words nor body language. It simply was not his way, but Tifa had learned long ago that to truly know and understand Cloud, one simply needed to look into his eyes. They were how Cloud expressed himself.

What Tifa found in those orbs right now, was perhaps the most terrifying thing since she saw the burning of her hometown a lifetime ago.

One might have called it rage, or hatred, but such words were woefully inadequate for what Tifa found. The sheer amount of negative emotion contained within such small objects washed over Tifa like a great wave, nearly drowning her in their intensity.

For a terrifying moment, Tifa felt that the man before her was not Cloud anymore, but a pure manifestation of fury that was merely wearing her friend's face like some twisted mask.

Were Tifa of a weaker willpower, she would have been utterly overwhelmed and engulfed by those waves of raw emotion, forced to step back and turn away at something so horrifying.

But Tifa's will was steel, her resolve strong.

She was not someone who backed down.

"Cloud." Tifa took hold of Cloud's face in her hands, her voice even and calm despite the force of those mako eyes boring into her own like high intensity lasers.

"We have to…" Cloud tried to snarl but he didn't get far.

"Shut up." Barret looked at Tifa like she'd grown a second head. Never before had he heard her sound quite like that, and Tifa had her way, it would have stayed like that, but a little bit of roughness was going to be necessary to snap Cloud out of this.

"Tifa…" Cloud warned but tellingly had stopped trying to escape Barret's hold.

"I said shut up, you bastard." Tifa was not someone who swore very often, she never had much reason to, so on the few occasions she did, people tended to listen. It was something Tifa intended to take full advantage of right now.

Cloud's eyes softened as Tifa hoped, but not as much as they needed to. Tifa was far from done.

"You heard what Hojo plans to do with Aerith." Tifa met Cloud's leer with one of her own. "Didn't you?"

"Yes…" Cloud practically growled out the word, low and dangerous.

"And nothing is going to stop them."

Cloud eyes went wide and Tifa could tell he was seconds from starting to yell, but she was only getting started.

"Except us!" Tifa shook him a little rougher this time, her voice dropping deeper into a near snarl herself. "Right now, the only people in the entire world that can save Aerith is the three of us. And if something happens to us, Aerith has no chance left. None! And everything going on in that damn brain of yours is going to come true. All of it! And it's going to be your fault."

"Tifa…" Barret tried to get a word in but a borderline death glare from Tifa shut him up, too.

"You want to save Aerith?" Tifa asked, rhetorically.

Cloud nodded.

"Then. Get. It. Together!" Tifa punctuated each word with a rough shake of Cloud's head. "Now!"

At last, Tifa released him but not without one last shove. Was she perhaps a bit too rough? Maybe, but Cloud needed to be knocked back to earth, or else they were all in jeopardy, none more so than Aerith. Cloud would understand once they found the flower girl and were making their getaway.

"Let him go, Barret."

"Uh…"

"Did I stutter?"

Barret instantly dropped Cloud, who landed perfectly fine on his feet, eyes looking anywhere but at Tifa. If his body language was any indication, which rarely was, most of the emotion had been drained out of the man. Certainly enough for them to press on without any other hang-ups, planet willing.

Hojo already had a considerable head start into his lab, they'd have to hurry to be able to catch up with him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a good thing Tifa was able to knock some sense back into Cloud. After that terrible monstrosity he sicced on them, they would have been screwed if he was going into a berserker rage every two seconds. She was sure it would have made him fight twice as hard, but he would have been twice as reckless. As it was, they'd made it by the skin of their teeth, yet again.

When Hojo threw a squad of ordinary humans in their way, it almost felt like a holiday for Tifa and group to beat them to a pulp, cathartic, even.

"Stand back." Now that the last of the obstacles were out of the way, Barret took aim at the lock of Aerith's cell. Before he could even fire, Cloud was rushing forth to strike the glass durable glass.

Tifa would have thought it too strong for such an attack, but she must have underestimated Cloud's now controlled fury. A single blow cracked it, a second, delivered by a glowing buster sword, obliterated it.

A smiling Aerith immediately appeared. "You ca… oof."

In the time it took to blink, Cloud's sword fell to the ground with a resounding clank, his arms swinging around Aerith to pull her close to him. A gesture Aerith was happy to return with almost as much gusto.

Tifa wasn't sure which was more shocking, that Cloud was showing such obvious physical affection for another human being, or the fact that Cloud had just carelessly tossed his beloved sword to the floor like a piece of cheap scrap metal.

"This is nice… but a girl… needs to breathe, ya know?" Aerith wheezed out with mild difficulty but a small giggle after it became apparent Cloud was refusing to let go of her.

Tifa watched as Aerith's face contorted from happiness, to confusion, to worry in the span of a few seconds. The flower girl always was surprisingly attuned to the emotions of people around her, Cloud's even more so.

"Hey." Aerith's voice was soft, soothing, one hand coming up to lightly run through Cloud's spiky blonde locks. "I'm okay. You found me just like you said you would. Just like I knew you would."

Tifa could only wonder when Cloud had a chance to say something like that.

"I…" Cloud tried to talk, but no words would come out.

"Shh…" Aerith hushed him. "You don't have to say a word, okay?"

"Okay." Cloud's voice was so quiet, Tifa almost missed it.

It was just like Aerith, she was the one being rescued from imprisonment and here she was doing the reassuring and comfort for her rescuer.

Hojo was saying something, but Tifa wasn't listening. Cloud and Aerith were lost in their own tiny little world, while Barret was busy yelling back at the scientist and firing off a few rounds into the no doubt bulletproof glass he was standing behind.

Cloud and Aerith pulled apart ever so slightly, just enough to look each other in the eye. Tifa couldn't see Cloud's face, but she did see Aerith's lips slowly raise in a shinning smile that had even Tifa's heart skipping a beat.

For a moment, it looked like the two were going to kiss, but instead they leaned in close to one another, their forehead's resting together while Aerith's eyes drifted closed.

Tifa thought hard for a minute, really hard. She'd assumed Aerith was a dear friend, and Cloud was being his usual protective and noble self when he decided to attempt a rescue. After saving Marlene, she'd more than earned it. It might have seemed like a simple rescue mission, but look at where they were!

This was the very heart of Shinra, their most secure foothold in probably the entire world. Aerith, herself a prized asset to the company and their plans for the future. Couple this with Cloud's near single-minded drive to save her and repeated reminding them of their mission, and now watching this reunion, a number of pieces clicked into place at once.

This was not rescuing a friend, no, this was something far different, and far more meaningful.

"You haven't figured out how we're getting out, yet. Have you?" Aerith suddenly spoke, snapping Tifa out of her thoughts.

"Nope." Cloud answered honestly. He sounded so relaxed, it was almost easy to forget he'd near lost his mind with a bloodthirsty rage a short time ago. Such was the power Aerith appeared to have over the man.

While it had worked, shaking and roughly knocking sense back into Cloud, Tifa couldn't help but wonder if she'd made the wrong call. Maybe she should have been offering tender reassurances and comfort.

"Of course not." Aerith's sighed, but her voice betrayed her fondness. "You, dummy."

"Was a little distracted." Cloud shrugged, forehead never leaving Aerith's for even a second. "I'm not sorry."

"We ain't got time for this." Barret interrupted, but Cloud and Aerith didn't jerk apart like Tifa would have expected them to. They eased apart slowly, like what they were doing was perfectly natural. "Security's going to be comin' for another round, we wait too long."

"We gotta go." Cloud agreed, taking Aerith's hand without even looking or hesitating. It was telling how Aerith's automatic reaction was to lace her fingers together with Cloud's like this was a regular thing.

Wait… was it a regular thing?

Seeing their entwined hands, and what it could mean, Tifa wasn't sure how she felt, but what she did know, was that this was not the time for it. They had to get to safety, then maybe she could figure some of this stuff out.

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to do this from Cloud's POV with full grisly detail on some of the horrors he was imagining, but honestly? I made it a whole twenty seconds before I couldn't stand it and shifted it to Tifa's POV instead as an outside perspective. Instead of grisly and gory detail, I believe the 'nothing is scarier' trope is a bit more impactful.
> 
> I feel like Cloud might be a little ooc here, but I think of it this way, this version of Cloud is a little deeper in love than the one in the game at this point, hence his more emotional and visceral reaction.
> 
> Something else, this work was supposed to be bleak, depressing, shorter, and more… I don't know, more negative, I suppose? Then came the part where they found Aerith and she just turned the story back into being warm and fuzzy. Anyway, let me know what you all think.


End file.
